“I have had the chance to hold them, see them, feel them and SHOOT with them for just a few minutes (but only in my home). WOW is all I can say. Every year Sony comes out and surprises me in my home. This is the third year and for the first time in those three years my heart skipped a beat when they pulled this one out of the bag. Why? Because I knew what it was and what it meant for camera enthusiasts worldwide.”

“Both Alpha cameras (the 7 and 7R) share the same simplistic, rugged design that makes them look like children’s toys (or much older film cameras from Eastern Europe) next to traditional full-frame DSLRs. Thankfully, Sony hasn’t compromised on ergonomics, making the cameras easy to hold and operate. The feature set is incredibly full, for both still photographers and video enthusiasts. The cameras we’ve used are pre-production, but they are responsive and generally a pleasure to use, though they certainly aren’t made for stealth, as both have a rather noisy shutter.”

“The two cameras are very closely-related, with the Sony A7R being the higher-resolution of the two models — and we do mean high-res. While its sibling isn’t exactly a slouch in terms of resolution, the 36.4-megapixel Sony A7R matches Nikon’s impressive D800 and D800E for pure sensor resolution, yet with a much smaller, mirrorless body. It does have some disadvantages compared to the lower-res (still 24.3-megapixel!) A7 in other areas, though. If shooting performance is more important to you than resolution, you’ll want to take a look at the Sony A7 instead.”